Belly Button/Navel Piercing After Care
Remember a piercing is a wound. Consequently, you should expect tenderness, swelling, discolouration, possible bruising, bleeding and itching. Also, a natural healing for any wound includes the secretion of a white-yellow fluid (containing dead blood cells and blood plasma).This fluid will dry and form a crust on your jewellery. Body piercings need to be cleaned once or twice daily. The easiest and most comfortable way to clean your piercing is either during or immediately following a hot shower. The hot water and steam will help soften your skin and loosen the crust at the base of your jewellery(making it easier to remove) Make sure that your hands have been washed with an anti bacterial soap.
Next, gently remove the crust from your jewellery with a disposable , one use product such as a tissue,cotton swab or cotton ball( do not use a face washer because bacteria can lie dormant in the cloth. Then, place some anti bacterial soap in your hands and rub them together to create a nice lather. Gently wipe the jewellery and your piercing with the tips of your fingers, being careful not to scratch or irritate the area. Once the jewellery and piercing are lathered with soap, spin the jewellery right around a few times. This will help run some soap into the wound, helping to ward off bacteria. Rinse the area and jewellery thoroughly while continuing to spin the jewellery back and forth(Tip do not place the piercing directly into the shower. Instead, try to redirect the water with your hands in order to reduce the intensity of rinsing)
Sea Salt Soaks
After completing the above process, you can perform your sea salt soaks either in or out of the shower. 3/4 fill a disposable cup with warm water and add 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, stir until dissolved. Pre soak a cotton ball or swab and firmly press it on your piercing. The first soak should last at least 10 minutes. All additional soaks should be 5-10 minutes. Following the sea salt soak, pat your piercing and jewellery dry with fresh disposable tissue or cotton swab.
Tips that you should remember:
Never touch your piercing without first washing your hands with anti-bacterial soap. This is a great way to avoid infection even after your piercing is healed
Do not use petroleum based ointments (eg. Neosporin, Bacitracin, etc) peroxide, alcohol, Betadine, Iodine and Hibaclease!! These substances can hinder and prolong the healing process.
During the entire healing period, the jewellery should remain in place to act as a drain. If the jewellery is too large to allow adequate drainage, it could be replaced with a smaller size by a piercing professional. Removing your jewellery prematurely can cause an infected hole to close up, trapping an infection and leading to complications requiring medical professional. If you feel that the normal secretion is turning into a thicker and darker discharge, please do not hesitate to contact your doctor for more advanced treatment eg. antibiotics
Always wear loose and clean clothing around your new piercing. Tight or unclean clothing can irritate or infect the piercing.
Do not engage in rough activity that may threaten your piercing. Intense friction and pulling on a fresh piercing is a common way to trigger a migration (a process in which the body "pushes" the jewellery out of the body)
Do not expose your piercing to cosmetics such as make-up , hair styling products, lotion etc.. Cosmetics contain many different ingredients and can cause irritation and infection.
Eat nutrient dense meals and consider supplementing your diet with Vitamin C and Zinc.
Drink plenty of fluids 8-10 glasses a day is a good way to keep your body hydrated
Try to get a least 8 hours of sleep a night . This will heal your body heal as best as possible
Don't sleep on your new piercing. This will cause irritation and prolong the healing process
Do not leave jewellery out of a piercing for too long!! If you must remove your jewellery, either put in a retainer or replace it ASAP.
Avoid going into a pool or spa. The water can be unclean and may induce infection
Remember be patient with your new Belly Button piercing it can take 6 months - 1 year (sometimes up to 2 years) to heal properly.
